What are the responsibilities and job description for the Clinical Case Manager - HOST position at DESC?
Job Title: Case Manager - HOST
Days Off: Saturday, Sunday
Pay Range: CM I Scale: $23.77 - $26.25 per hour, CM II Scale (For MHP Qualifying Candidates): $51,656 - $57,006 annually.
Shift: Office Day
Insurance Benefits: Dental, Life, Long-term Disability, Medical (no premiums/payroll deductions for employee coverage)
Other Benefits: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), ORCA card subsidy, Paid Time Off (34 days per year), Retirement Plan
About DESC:
DESC (Downtown Emergency Service Center) is a nonprofit organization working to help people with the complex needs of homelessness, substance use disorders, and serious mental illness achieve their highest potential for health and well-being through comprehensive services, treatment, and housing. Our vision is a community where no person is abandoned, ignored, or experiencing homelessness.
As the region's leading provider of services to multiply disabled adults who have experienced chronic homelessness, DESC serves almost 2,000 people each day. Our integrated service model is designed to help people secure and maintain appropriate, safe and affordable housing. DESC is recognized nationally and regionally as an innovator in developing solutions to homelessness.
JOB DEFINITION
Homeless Outreach Stabilization and Transition (HOST) is a multi-disciplinary team serving homeless adults experiencing severe and persistent mental illness and co-occurring disorders. HOST prioritizes services to those who are highly vulnerable, lack service connections or other support, and are unwilling or unable to engage in traditional service models. The HOST team works throughout Seattle and parts of King County to provide critical survival services and engagement with the ultimate goal of addressing acute mental and physical health needs, increasing stability, obtaining housing, and transitioning to long-term services.
The HOST Intensive Case Manager provides outreach, engagement, and ongoing intensive case management services to a small case load of homeless adults with severe & persistent mental health disorders and/or co-occurring disorders. This position requires a high degree of coordination and collaboration with other DESC programs as well as outside agencies to assure successful transition of consumers to ongoing care.
MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Outreach & Engagement
- Provide outreach and engagement services as assigned, in office, on the streets, shelters, encampments, DESC projects, and other community areas. On occasion services may be provided in outlying King County areas.
- Interact with general client population, intervene in crisis situations with individual clients and screen clients for HOST eligibility when appropriate.
- Develop and maintain cooperative relationships with current programs providing services for homeless and mentally ill persons. Encourage development of new services.
- Participate in education of service community regarding the needs of homeless clients with mental illness/co-occurring disorders, techniques of engagement and service provision.
Case Management
- Participate as a member of a multi-disciplinary team of clinical, outreach, medical, peer support, and intensive case management staff to provide a variety of services focused on stabilization and transition to long-term behavioral health or other appropriate ongoing services.
- Conduct intake evaluations and mental health assessments. With client participation, develop support and treatment plans; facilitate linkages to housing, psychiatric and physical health care, financial benefits, and other ancillary support services to meet the individual’s needs.
- Assume primary responsibility for coordinating all aspects of clients' support and treatment plans. This includes providing and/or coordinating the following: survival services with a focus on access to food, shelter, and clothing; fastest possible acquisition and stabilization of housing; acute and ongoing medical care, psychiatric treatment, benefit enrollment, criminal justice system coordination, and substance abuse treatment.
- Advocate for clients' access to community resources and services, ensuring that clients' needs are met and rights maintained; consult and collaborate with community providers to ensure continuity of care.
- Prioritize crisis intervention with clients as needed. This may include de-escalation, outreach in emergency departments, and/or making referrals to the County Designated Crisis Response system.
- Develop and maintain strong collaborative relationships with DESC staff, and other service and resource organizations to ensure full continuity of care for clients.
- Fulfill role of protective payee for some consumers on behalf of the agency, creating monthly budgets with consumers, distributing funds, and assisting with purchases.
Other Duties & Responsibilities
- Participate in psychiatric consultation, supervision, program meetings, and in‑service trainings; participate in clinical reviews and case conferences for clients on caseload.
- Comply with the agency's clinical accountability policies and procedures; maintain timely and complete clinical records; participate in quality assurance reviews when assigned.
- Comply with applicable program research and evaluation procedures.
- Other duties as assigned.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Interest or experience in working with clients who are difficult to engage and maintain in traditional mental health/substance use disorder programs.
- Ability to meet Washington state requirements for registration as a counselor.
- Knowledge of Recovery-focused, strengths-based work in mental health.
- Knowledge of Harm Reduction strategies.
- Ability to work effectively with clients displaying a wide range of unpleasant and/or bizarre behaviors.
- Ability to communicate and work effectively with staff from various backgrounds.
- Subscribe to the philosophy of cooperation and continuity across programs and of consideration and respect for clients.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
- Relevant Bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology, or related behavioral science, or
- Bachelor’s degree in any field and one year of paid work experience in social services, or
- Relevant Associate degree and one year of relevant paid work experience, or
- Any Associate degree and one year of highly relevant paid work experience, or
- A combination of one year of highly relevant paid work experience and formal training in clinical and case management skills to demonstrate an ability to successfully perform the job.
Mental Health Professional (CM II Scale)
- Ability to obtain Washington Department of Health minimum credential as an Agency Affiliated Counselor or higher.
- Master's degree in a social work, counseling, psychology, marriage and family counseling, or other relevant behavioral science.
- Meet criteria as a Mental Health Professional as defined in RCW 71.05, WAC 388-865-0400.
Supervision
- 2 hours of Clinical Supervision per month by approved LICSW supervisor
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- A relevant Master’s degree in social work, psychology or counseling is highly preferred.
- Mental Health Professional preferred.
- Washington Driver’s License and insurable driving record.
- Experience working with adults who are experiencing or who have experienced homelessness, have a mental illness and/or co-occurring substance use disorders.
- Knowledge of de-escalation skills, crisis intervention & stabilization.
- Bi-cultural background/experience.
- Bi-lingual English/Spanish strongly preferred, but not required.
- Experience working with adults who are homeless, have a mental illness and/or co-occurring substance abuse disorders, preferred.
- Strong knowledge of relevant community resources and methods for accessing them.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be required sit for long periods of time, communicate with other persons by talking and hearing, required to lift and carry items weighing up to 25 pounds and to operate computer hardware systems. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
DESC is committed to diversity in the workplace, and promotes equal employment opportunities for all staff members and applicants. The Agency will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability in any employment practice, unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification. Minorities and veterans are encouraged to apply.
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